Up To Me
by Amouthea
Summary: After accidentally murdering the mother of two children, a hunter is abandoned on Earth for his misconduct, and finds himself left with more than his own honor to repair...
1. Default Chapter

This one has been sitting on the back burner for a while. But I've got a lot of time on my hands at the moment, so...here it is! Hope you like it!

_Prologue_

_It's dark again._

_Another night on this planet. How many have gone by?_

_How long has it been? _

_Since I was banished..._

Yet'rin crouched atop the pewter shingle roof, ignoring the metallic whine it made as it swayed faintly beneath his weight. He gazed upwards at the faraway stars, although their distance made them invisible, their heat lost in the vast void of space between them and the planet. He knew they were still there.

And that they'd never get any closer.

The soft shuffling of leaves filtered into his mask, the dusky smell of soggy and recently overturned topsoil lingered on the wind. Somewhere in the distance a lone creature was digging among some ragged roots, tiny claws scratching against the rough bump surface, scavenging for a pliable scrap. A patch of grass beside the pitiful fence beyond the swing shifted. The branches of nearby tress crackled together in midnight chatter. Nothing of significance stirred.

Well, nothing _outside _the house...

The hunter turned at the faint muffle-whimper of sound seeping from the thin protrusion beside him. Leaning closer, he could still smell the remnants of smoke drifts within the serrated stone opening. The fire he had started at its base within the tiny dwelling had died hours ago. He cocked his head to the side, tuning out the familiar voices of the night. The discontented murmur came again. He jumped down from the roof and stepped inside the too-small flimsy, dark structure as silently as possible.

Sidestepping various objects that cluttered the warm, fuzz matt floor of the small room, Yet'rin made his way towards the blanket huddle-heap beside the no longer flickering hearth. He could see the two tiny heat-signature frames beneath the thin blanket, one curled in blissful slumber against the side of the fireplace, the other squirming furiously within the cloth tangles, its head weaving from side to side in discomfort.

Tugging the frayed edge of the covers, the confused yautja pulled it free of the creature's face and arms and tossed it to the side. Opening its large eyes wide, the miniscule creature's arms stopped flailing, and its head turned to face the sudden cool breath of air rushing at its exposed skin. Blinking for a moment in the darkness, its eyes darted around the room in fright, cheeks glistening with pixie-dust tear trails. At last pausing to focus on the large dark shape hovering over it in the darkness, it sniffled and spoke croaked a word.

"Daddy?"

Yet'rin shook his head at the identification, knowing full well its meaning even before his mask translated the term yet again. He forced the strange dialect from his throat, having been practicing certain responses.

It wasn't like he had anything better to do...

"No. Not...'Daddy'."

He watched the little being cringe visibly at the harshness of his voice, watched the glossy orbs widen in recognition and realization and remembrance. He could see the coloration of fear seeping into its body, could detect the liquid streaks lining its face. He reached out a large hand to pat it...no, 'her' on the head.

The length of the fragile-soft hair was one of the easiest ways to tell the two of them apart, he had decided.

With a soft but shrill cry she dodged his touch and fell back upon the floor, yanking the coverlet over her face once more. Hushed but ragged sobs collided with the silence of the room. Yet'rin stood and looked down upon the once again shaking form, but didn't have the slightest idea of what to do.

At least the other one was somewhat easier to console...

That being the other prominent way of telling them apart.

Sighing, the abandoned yautja left the room, padding outside to the comforting embrace of darkness and nighttime banter. Though he wished he could not, he still heard the mournful whimpers slipping from beneath the door to dance precociously into the chilly air and chime inside his mask. He sat down on the porchstep and covered his ears with his hands, an unfruitful action.

Why did it bother him so?

She cried every night...

He didn't blame her.

Not after what he'd done.


	2. Chapter 1

Wow! I never expected so much feedback! Especially not such positive ones...Thank you to all of my reviewers!

Sorry for the obnoxious delay :(

Here's the next chapter. Its in italics because its a flashback. Hope you like it!

Chapter 1

_Yet'rin watched the human shuffle along the forest bed, the only sound a slight 'crich crich' of leaves crumpling beneath his body. He crawled over another moss bank, eyes unwavering in their skilled watchfullness._

_There it was._

_His prey stood not five meters away, sturdy and dark against the fragile shrubbery. Tall, sharp horns protruded from the soft area between its twitching ears. The faint slick sound of its grazing now penetrated the silence as well. _

_The human raised himself to his knees slowly. _

_Yet'rin hadn't thought another species capable of such stealth. Now the human was standing, shotgun cocked against his shoulder, one eye squinted in concentration. He aimed not at the burly, hooved creature, but a few feet in front of it._

_He whistled._

_Two seconds flashed by. The blink of a human eye. _

_It was enough. _

_Enough time for the creature to swivel its long neck in the human's direction. To look down the shiny-cold thin chrome tube and past it to the man holding it. A bolt to the right, anticipated gesture._

_The stag was now shuddering on the ground._

_Within a few moments the trembles ceased and the man walked over to his prey, dark and still warm on the crushed grass. He gave it a quick pat of recognition between its lifeless eyes, ran a respectful hand over the antlers. He set to work._

_The predator above looked on with more than a little fascination. Even he couldn't have skinned the carcass that fast. The human's knife slid through the hide in fluid swipes, quickly seperating muscle from bone and skin from fatty-tissue. Ten minutes passed. Divvying up the vitals, the human placed them in neat piles to be carried home in separate trips. Packing the first load neatly into the sack he pulled down from his shoulders, he hoisted it, now full, and walked off into the trees._

_Yet'rin eased himself into a more comfortable position and unsheathed his wrist blades. He ran a taloned figertip along the silver strip edges. As expected, they were already well sharpened and cleaned, crying for hot crimson blood to whet them. He let a soft chuckle drip from his throat. He knew the human would be back. One so skillful as he would leave nothing to expire in the dirt. He would return to claim the rest of the carcass, and waste nothing._

_He was worthy prey._

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_Jacob pressed a shoulder against the wooden doorframe as he fiddled with the knob. He could hear the soft patter of bare feet scrambling towards his position, a race to open the door first. Two clunks and a bell-chime chuckle later it swung open, and he entered the warm butter-light room with a grin._

_Trent stepped aside to let his daddy pass beside him, lugging a bulging sack over one arm, rifle in the other hand. He set the bag on the shimmery tile countertop and turned to the woman standing in one corner. She returned the small grin, hazel eyes gleaming against the curling flames of the fireplace. She rocked a wide-eyed little girl with a red-smack bump on her tiny forehead in her arms._

_"I didn't say we needed anything new to eat tonight." _

_Setting down her four-year-old daughter, she padded over to the sack to inspect its contents. With a slight 'hmph' she turned to face her husband, chin in hand, mock surprised eyebrows. _

_"You didn't say we didn't." He shrugged and grinned. "You going to help me carry the rest with shoes this time?"_

_"Maybe." Silly smile. "I liked being carried last time."_

_"Because you weren't doing the carrying."_

_"Boring monster..." She pouted and flicked the tip of his nose, but pulled on some rainboots._

_"Indeed." _

_He bent to pick up Trent and swung him around before pointing to the tiny sneakers beside the door. "Shoes on, you two."_

_Trent sat down to snap on his shoes, Melody buckling her green glitter jellies across the room. The twins followed their parents outside and into the tang pine air of the forest. _

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_A soft crunch told Yet'rin of the human's approach. No longer on the offensive, it seemed he had given up his stealthiness, although the rifle still swung from his shoulder. _

_Probably to pick off any creatures interested in the quickly chilling mass of meat that was already gathering flies._

_He wasn't expecting anything to desire his own weak hide. Good. Yet'rin appreciated the look of surprise in his prey's eyes. He watched the human kneel beside the neat piles, batting away the flies. He began to load another sack._

_Now._

_The predator let his hand grasp and crumple a patch of dead leaves, breaking off a small branch and dropping it to the ground. As expected, the man swiveled with trained speed, barrel of his gun following the rapid drop of the branch. Determining it's non-threatening presence, he raised his vision to where it had fallen from._

_As the branch fell, Yet'rin utilized the sound-distraction to back step and drop from another branch to the ground behind the human. He walked up to the bewildered back preparing to strike._

_"What is it honey?"_

_The yautja froze at the sound of the soft voice floating into his helmet from the left. He could hear the quiet muffled breaths of three more humans._

_"Daddy?" A chirp of a voice. _

_A child?_

_Yet'rin turned his head to get a better look. Big mistake. _

_A female human and two tiny ones stood to the side. The woman's eyes went round as a water-ripple chunk of the forest moved. She took a step back, pushing the two little humans behind her slender frame protectively._

_"Stay back!"_

_The man raised his gun to the clear gelatin distortion not two feet from him, arms wavering slightly with awe or fear. _

_Yet'rin pulled out his spear and decloaked. It was dishonorable to kill while poorly visible. The man was eyeing him wildly, unable to decide if he was imagining the towering form before him. The other humans were motionless. _

_Making an agitated clicking with his mandibles, the yautja took another step closer to the human and raised the spear. The faintest twinge of reproach striking him immobile for a meager moment, and he hesitated, rethinking the timing. _

_Would it be more appropriate to simply leave, under the circumstances? _

_For some reason it disturbed him that those which were probably this human's family would watch him die. He could hear the urgent squeals of one of the human children pierce the forest. He pressed the tiny release cache to unfold the spear. It snapped to its proper length and dexterity. _

_No, it was too late now..._

_It happened in a blur._

_The man hesitated no longer. Swinging the rifle into position, he aimed at Yet'rin and fired. Being much faster in battle mannerisms the yautja merely knocked the barrel of the weapon to the side, averting its blast. A shrill shriek came from the woman behind, and the hunter and hunted alike turned in her direction for a second. She was cupping a palm against one side of her face, although a crimson well was seeping through the tapered fingertips. She stumbled back into the brush, children now screaming and tugging at her thin arms. Gracefully she caught herself and stood again, whispering something to the tots grasping her skirt._

_"Trent, Melody. Run! Now..." She pushed them away from her with red-shimmer hands. They fell into the brush screaming and did not move._

_"Pauk!" Yet'rin slashed at the man, who nimbly dodged, the serrated tip biting only a half an inch into his side. He swung his gun and met the force of another blow from the alloy spear, this time head on. The rifle skittered into the slimy grass beside the remains of the stag's carcass. Stumbling back, the man tripped over his half-filled sack, base of his skull connecting sharply with the ground._

_Groaning, Jacob looked up to see the large creature toss aside the spear. Rapid-breath, he began scrambling back into the shrubbery as it released twin wrist blades, curved and wicked, preparing for a strike. His back at once came upon the rough surface of an ancient tree. _

_This was it..._

_He closed his eyes. He could hear the alien metal hissing through the air. Could almost feel the cold bite of twin tips piercing his chest._

_He could feel it._

_A sudden shock of force against his chest._

_But it wasn't cold..._

_The man opened his eyes to the sensation of warm liquid rushing over his body. His shirt became thick with it. A strand of silk brushed against his neck and cheek, slipping across his lips. He could see red and pink and baby blue. For a few agonizing seconds he could hear nothing._

_Then a muffled gasp._

_It was a strange stangled, choking whimper._

_No!_

_He wrenched his eyes wider, arms leaden with fear and realization. Nothing and everything was visible all at once. He screamed, silently, utter grief clenching his throat, rendering his vocals inept._

_His wife now fell softly against him, a sickening slick shushhhh sound as she slid off the blades and onto his lap. His mouth ran dry as his eyes streamed._

_"No..."_

_Yet'rin stood frozen in shock as he watched the woman's eyes widen and squeeze shut in silent pain. The side of her face still streamed, and a trickle of blood rolled lazily down her chin. In vain, she tried to pull herself off the blades, hands leaking from the sharp edges. It wasn't long before they fell limp at her sides and her head lolled back in weakness. Her temperature was dropping rapidly and she began to shudder. She kept her eyes locked on his face, however._

_They alone were shockingly alight, unlike her perishing body, glazed with questions, accusations. The mildest speck of curiosity. _

_A liquid-lined realization and immense sorrow._

_She blinked up at the hunter once more, the last strands of sentient thought unraveling behind her gaze._

_Snapping to, the yautja retracted his wrist blades and watched her slide to the ground on top of the other human._

_What had he done!_

_He watched the man sit up and lay the female to the side, muttering in his language. He was trying to get a response from her, trying to stop the blossoming pool from forming beneath her. Weakly, she flopped an arm up to touch his face, choking on fluid. The man cupped her head in his hands, cherry-coke tresses spilling from between his fingers. She finally relinquished her gaze at Yet'rin to give a feeble smile at the one holding her before long lashes fanned against placid panned cheeks and she shuddered no more._

_She was dead._

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_Don't worry. There's a lot more to come :)_

_Please review and tell me what you think. I'm always open to suggestions!_


	3. Chapter 2

Hello everyone::waves shyly at the readers:

I know, I know. You probably are VERY angry with me right now. And you have very good cause to be...VV

I can honestly say that I am SUPER sorry, though! Really, I am! I know that its been MONTHS since I've updated this fanfic (or any of my other ones). Yeah, I'm that wretched... :shakes her head, ashamed:

And I don't really have a good excuse, either.

I just...lost interest, I guess. Not in the marvelousness that is Preadtors and Aliens, just my own writing. I dunno. I got disgusted with how childish and inarticulate my stories were, and became deeply unmotivated.

I'm sorry :P I know that doesn't make it ok, by any means. But that's what happened...Yeah, I am the ultimate butt-munch!

...Forgive me?

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"No."

Trent glanced over at his sister across the floor, eyes clenched shut and knees pulled up to her chin. Her cheeks were pink and swollen and chapped. Lips curled in a grimace.

She had cried the entire night again.

No surprise there.

"Come on 'Lody! I'm hungry. Aren't you hungry?"

"No."

"Yes you are. You always eat in the morning."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do! And if you don't get up, I'll tell on you." A small smile crossed the little boy's lips.

He had seen her twitch slightly, arms loosening momentarily. She opened her eyes slowly. Clenched her hands tightly and rolled over. She glared at the ceiling.

Trent stood up and pulled on some socks, then scuffed on his shoes. He tossed feminine ones at the form on the floor.

It worked.

It always did.

She sprawled out a thin arm and grabbed the mint-colored jellies, still looking straight up. Extensively slowly, but resolutely flopping over, the little girl pushed herself to a sitting position and worked on the buckles. They snapped lightly in the silence of the cabin morning. Finished, the she stood up, hair glistening like cola in the sun slits streaking through the sheer panes to her right.

"Come on."

"Hmph."

Melody glowered at her brother as he bounded out the door. Swiping a hand beneath her nose with a motion half aggravation, half dread, she grudgingly followed her sibling into the warm caress of outside air.

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_The man was shaking._

_With fury or grief, Yet'rin didn't know. Probably both. _

_He watched, in silence, as the human lowered the female to the ground, cradling her lifeless body with a tenderness never before witnessed by the hunter. His actions and the suddenness of such unanticipated events kept him motionless._

_He knew that he should kill the man. It was what he came here to do after all. What he WAS doing…Until the unexpected happened._

_But that didn't change anything…Did it?_

_In his mind, Yet'rin knew that he had made a mistake. A serious error. There was even a tiny little voice deep within his head, that was calculating the retaliation factors of said error out loud. A minute nagging at the back of his thoughts, telling him that he was in deep, deep trouble. He had to get out of there!_

_But it was too late._

_With a sudden loud cry, the man wrenched himself up and away from his fallen wife, spinning furiously to face the offender. He charged with all the fury of a father desperate and wild, instincts coating any fears or reproach with adrenalin drenched mindlessness._

_Yet'rin staggered back from the force, swaying from more than his quickly severed reverie. Surprised beyond his own comprehension, he yanked wildly on his spear as the human heave-twisted it from his grasp. He gasped in shock as the sharpened tip was twirled swiftly in the human's suddenly too adept hands, and rammed against his side. A sharp twinge bolted up his rib cage, gnashing alloy with his bones._

_It brought him back to his senses at least._

_Yet-rin caught himself before completely losing his balance, using the white-hot pain as an advantage to navigate his body into retaliation. He struck out with his left fist in a swift half-turn, and caught the man directly across the face._

_The spear fell from the human's grasp, skittering a few feet away into the crimson damp grass. There was a mass of the hot fluid on the ground. Dark pools coagulated in gruesome puddles around them; nothing stirring their surfaces. Even the wind seemed to have paused at that moment._

_With renewed fervor, the hunter reached for the fallen man who was clutching his head, spitting blood from his mouth. He picked the smaller creature up by the front of its clothes and peered into its eyes._

_Like the woman's, they did not stray from his face. They were wide with fear and comprehension of the moment, as hers had been. But they were also different. A ferocious loathing and bestial inclination for revenge swam within the reflective surfaces._

_Not that Yet'rin could say he blamed the creature._

_The human grit it's teeth viciously, and let out a low growl of hate. The yautja continued to study the man's face, but raised his right arm purposefully. His wrist blades were already extended._

_CRACK!_

_With more surprise than pain, Yet'rin dropped the man, stepping back. He cupped a large palm to his shoulder, wincing. The neon fluid dripped lazily down his left arm, welling from beneath his armor. Taken aback, he stared down at the man, propped up with an elbow in the grass, rifle raised expertly._

"_Melody! Trent! RUN NOW!"_

_Jacob shot his children a fearful look, crazed animosity quickly fading with the realization that the monster before him could not be taken down as easily as he thought. If at all. He repeated his command._

_His offspring squealed in pure terror, but remained rooted to the spot._

_Get out of here! He pleaded silently to their large, seeping eyes. He felt his throat constricting within his throat. You must! You must!_

_The monster advanced on him once more._

"_PLEASE!"_

_They were shaking their small heads. Shrieking and trembling and holding their tiny arms out to him._

_Go GO GO….! _

_Three more gigantic figures suddenly formed out of the darkening air. Liquid ripples that dropped from the branches that scratched the evening sky. Then, as if blinking into existence, the towering creatures were visible against the foliage._

_His children gaped mutely up at the monsters for a mere second._

"_NO!"_

_Before they could so much as scuffle backwards, the twins were scooped up from the leaves and muck as large, taloned hands grasped them quickly. They were instantaneously hidden from view behind the monstrous forms._

_Jacob cried out again, in alarm. He couldn't see his children! Couldn't…_

_He made a wild sweep with the rifle, swinging the barrel into position. His sights locked onto the form that had engulfed his offspring._

_He pulled the trigger.The shot crackled through the forest._

_And bounced off the creature's chest._

_A rapid clicking erupted from it, however. The two forms flocking it advanced. Jacob raised the gun again, palms slick with sweat or blood. Crazed now, he made to pull the trigger again._

_He didn't get a chance to. A sharp blow to his abdomen sent him reeling back into the bloody muck, and he dropped the rifle in desperate pain. Clenching his arms around his ribs, he managed to look up, wheezing._

_He could see the large creature that had murdered his wife raise its arm once more. The twin blades still shone scarlet in the night. _

_NO! TRENT MELODY…HAVE to get them…OUT…._

_His reasoning was getting more clouded by the second._

"…_My…kids!..NO…DON'T TOU…"_

_The man fell still and silent as the blades were ripped from his chest. He was dead before his body touched the cool, grim ground._

_Yet'rin turned away from the man's corpse. He didn't reach down to retrieve his trophy. Instead, he turned and faced Damat and Gherrnoh and Retshi'rk. His hunting companions stood, unmoving against the backdrop of tattered bark for a long while, in silence._

_Finally, Gherrnoh shook his head disdainfully while Damat remained staring straight into Yet'rin's mask with an even glare._

_Retshi'rk set down the now silent human children, and expected his armor with a distinctly unhappy expression._

_Yet'rin hung his head in silence. He couldn't bring himself to return his companions' stares. He focused instead, on the two small creatures, frozen at Retshi'rk's feet. Only their large eyes possessed movement. Their vision danced from the alien beings surrounding them, to Yet'rin and their fallen parents._

_Yet'rin knew there were dire consequences to be faced._

_And he knew he deserved them. _

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_I hope you liked it!_

_Again, sincere apologies for the EXTREME delay._

_And deep thanks to ScarletMoonlight!_


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own this series! I don't even own a proper bed set. Honestly, you'd bemortified if you sued me...

Sincere Thank-you to all of my reviewers.:)

I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm really working on my writing, and trying to improve it with each chapter (hehe, trying!)

In case I confuse anyone (I'm sure I do--sorry XP) For every chapter, the regular font denotes present times, and the italic font represents a flashback/recall of past events that have led up to the now.

Oh yeah..mostof this chapter is full of kiddie random-goodness! I have a two-nephew, three neice wealth of it to work off of -

Chapter 3

Peering up past the thickly furred branches, the little boy scanned the brim of the cabin's roof. It was the far, shady side of the small dwelling where the chameleon-like creature usually sat. He (Trent was pretty sure this creature was, in fact, a he) had taken to lounging in this particular spot in the mornings as a sort of comforting, routine reassurance.

"I hate him."

Melody rounded the corner in a dejected manner, digging tiny trenches with her toes. She glowered in the direction her brother was staring, lips puckered in childish distaste.

"No you don't. You just say that every morning. 'Cause…'Cause you're prissy!" The green-eyed boy glanced at his sister, smugly shaping the rude word with his mouth.

"Am not! And yes I do!"

"Are to, are tooo!"

"NO I'm NOT!" She kicked a cloud of dirt and leaves in her brother's direction, anger quickly passing from the previous subject of dislike. Trent stuck his tongue at her and blew a raspberry as loudly and wet as humanly possible right back at her. The flecks of spittle sprayed her face straight on, even misting her hair to some extent.

Melody jerked back as the droplets of saliva made contact with her skin.

She blinked once.

Twice.

Trent's hysterical laughter was cut short as he had to duck the large ball of spit that was issued in his direction. He let out a disgusted noise as it hit the panel of the cabin beside his head, and made to return the gesture.

A loud shrieking erupted from the two children then, as the current (and positively vital) battle progressed.

Observing from above, the aforementioned subject shifted quietly, curiosity and amusement tempting him from stopping the ruckus below. He felt his mouth twitch humorously as the boy-child got a mess of spit splattered between his eyes. The girl used the distraction to run her fingers through her hair and flick the mess onto the dirt. She bent down to rub some more of the substance from her knees.

Within seconds she was tumbling into the shrubbery and roots beneath the tree as the boy used himself as a battering ram. Having both been bent over at the time of impact, their tiny skulls connected loudly with each other. Yet'rin grimaced and jumped down from the roof. He walked over to where the small forms lay on the grass and peered at them closely.

Trent rolled over onto his belly and got up shakily but silently, clutching his head. He caught sight of Yet'rin and grinned. Genuinely amused, the yautja grinned back slightly, although it wasn't visible to the boy.

A minute whimper came from the right, followed by the slight shuffle of leaves, and Yet'rin glanced over as Melody got to her knees. Slowly, she rocked back into a sitting position and raised her hands to grasp the top of her head. A few tears rolled down her flushed cheeks, and she glared up at her brother, but upon seeing the hunter, made no further sound.

Her eyes widened fearfully, locking onto his form as he moved closer to her and knelt down. He tilted his head slightly in observance for a few moments, noting the tears leaking from her large eyes.

Reaching out suddenly, he made to pull her hands away and inspect the wound, if there was indeed one.

Bad idea.

She skittered back faster than he would have thought possible for a creature of her stature, hissing with fright. Or anger. He pulled his hands back and she looked at him, muttering something. He stood up and she relaxed a little. She spoke again, louder and clearer.

"Stay away from me…"

Frowning, he took another step back, looking from the boy who was now standing at his side, to the child a couple feet away on the grass.

"I don't like you!" She gritted.

Yet'rin could tell without translation what she meant.

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_"Whatwas the meaning of...THIS?"_

_Yet'rin frowned and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was almost certain Damat's gaze could have pierced right through the hull of their ship. Glancing up at last, he made to say something, paused, then shut his mouth._

_His communicative as well as logic skills appeared to be lacking sufficiently._

_Gherrnoh snorted and crossed his arms._

_"Well, I'd say he's screwing things up rather nicely..."_

_"Rather." Retshi'rk agreed. He seemed a little pacified at the fact that his armor was unscathed. The bullet had been fired from too far a distance to puncture the alloy. Satisfied, he glanced up at last, looking from Yet'rin to the bodies beyond him, and back at his feet. The two children remained there, although their shaking had subsided somewhat and they were silent._

_Damat growled finally, relinquishing his glare at Yet'rin momentarily to fixate his gaze upon the bodies. He was quiet for a minute, as if deciding something._

_Gherrnoh shrugged and turned to head back to the ship. The silence was grating on his nerves._

_Yet'rin noticed the glimmering, sleekpolished skulls jangling from his waist as he moved._

_Distraught, the abashed hunter discreetly checked the others for similar adornments.They too, had found worthy prey it seemed. And without dismal error...he thought unhappily. Ashamedly._

_"There is only one trophy there for you."_

_Yet'rin looked at Damat as he spoke. He stil couldn't find his voice._

_Or pehaps it was merely the words he lacked...?_

_Damat nodded at the female body. "That one you will have to dispose of in a more discreet manner, I think." He then looked at the children thoughtfully._

_Yet'rin caught the meaning regarding the woman's corpse and bowed his head slightly. But he found himself watching the two tiny creatures, dwarfed by Retshi'rk's leg alone, sovulnerable in the grass._

_Retshi'rk noticed the stares of his hunting comrades and cocked an eyebrow, turning his head to follow their gaze._

_"And these?" He asked of the forms cowering at his ankle. They looked frightened to the extent of heart failure._

_Even Gherrrnoh turned, pausing mid-stride, to hear what response would be offered._

_"They..." Damat started to say something, but was cut off._

_"Are my problem."_

_Yet'rin met the stares of his comrades evenly, having found his voice at last. Gherrnoh was shocked, Retshi'rk merely confused. Damat alone showed no surprise. He peered at Yet'rin deeply for a long while. Finally, he sent a slow, deliberate nod in his former hunting companion's direction. He knew that Yet'rin would not be going home with them. That he probably shouldn't have anyway. There was NO room for error on any hunt. Not to this degree. Leaving such a mess in one's wake was unacceptable of any respectable hunter._

_Actually, Yet'rin's decision seemed to reassureDamat that the disgraced hunterstill had some strand of honor to cling to. It was with disappointment in the situation, not his friend, that he turned to leave._

_"You...you're not...serious. Are you?" Retshi'rk was still dumbfounded at Yet'rin's decision._

_A ghost of a smile crept upon Yet'rin's face as he nodded. Retshi'rk wasn't the kind to understand the direness of the situation, although he was an honorable companion. Yet'rin would miss him._

_Gherrnoh shrugged after a few more moments, and looked down at the human offsring for the first time, then back at Yet'rin._

_"Have fun." he chuckled, and resumed leaving._

_That was about as close to a genuine "I'll miss you." one could ever get from Gherrnoh. Yet'rin felt like a slight weight had been lifted from his shoulders. _

_Slowly, regretfully, he returned to the task at hand. After a moment's glance at the bodies behind him, Yet'rin decided upon the children as a good first course of action. They had to be removed from here and placed somewhere safe for the time being. Back at their dwelling, perhaps? Yes, that would have to do..._

_He walked over to where Retshi'rk was still standing, and reached for the two creatures huddling close to one another._

_Retshi'rk watched with interest as the smaller of the two squealed loudly and tried to bolt away. The other cringed at Yet'rin's appraoch, but appeared dazed and frazzled enough to be touched. Barely._

_Yet'rin frowned and pulled back in slight distress._

_"Great..." he muttered. He hadn't thought he was capable of feeling this bad or guilty._

_Retshi'rk chuckled and looked down at Yet'rin, the girl child tucked under one arm. Bending down, he picked up the sligthly larger boy child with the other arm. He looked, serious for a moment, into Yet'rin's visor._

_"I repeat my question."_

_Yet'rin returned his friend's stare, feeling like that last smile he'd ever make was twisting his mouth. He chuckled, but it lacked any real humor._

_"Don't make me answer that." He grimaced then._

_Retshi'rk smiled. It deffinitely wasn't the happiest moment he'd shared with Yet'rin. But it was, without question, likely to be the last..._

_His smile faded. He gave a last quick bob of his head in farewell before he asked:_

_"Where do you want 'em?"_

_Yet'rin gave his friend, the last of his kind he'd ever see, directions to the human household he had been observing for the past few days. _

_He was too miserable to vocalize a goodbye as the large form faded away in the distance, and he was left alone with the two corpses and more damage than mere flesh wounds._

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_Wow...I depress myself. Bleck! Well, at least that's the end of the flashbacks... XP_

_I hope it was satisfactory. Don't forget to review if you have any hopes/ dislikes/likes/ or suggestions! _


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Not with the wrapper still on!"

Yet'rin turned to face the child that hovered at his right elbow with a dismal expression and a very meager quantity of comprehension. The boy smacked a frail arm against his own with mingled frustration and surprise, until finally he seemed to surrender the battle of what he proposed was common sense and snatched the package from the hunter's hands. With a practiced gesture, the child ripped off the silver material enveloping the two rectangular pastries.

Yet'rin just watched, puzzled and silent, at the contents of the boy's hands for a moment before they were shoved into his own.

"Now you can heat them up." Trent smiled.

Yet'rin cocked his head in the direction of the heating device on the counter, watching the boy's response. An energetic nod was issued.

_Yes, it appeared that he should now heat up the rectangular objects._

He was about to place them on the rotating circle within the electrical box when a grumble made him stop.

"Not in the MICROWAVE."

Melody lay in the middle of the kitchen floor, her knees bent and small hands folded across her chest. She glared up at the large being beside the counter, having been watching his progress for the past five minutes after scooting across the floor tiles had become boring. When he turned around and cocked his head in her direction, she frowned.

She pushed herself into a sitting position as Trent began explaining that the pastries needed to be cooked in the toaster, as opposed to the microwave.

"What kind of dumm-dumm doesn't know how to cook a pop-tart?"

Yet'rin glanced at her again as the pop-tarts toasted. Trent shot her an angry look. She poked her tongue out at him and stood up. She moved forward as the hunter pulled another package of pastries from the box. He held it up for a moment, watching her, to see if it was what she desired for breakfast.

He took her lack of response as a yes. She was more prone to vocalize against what she found to be distasteful. That much he had picked up by now.

_Shick!_

Yet'rin turned around to watch Trent pull his breakfast from the toaster and unwrapped the pastries in his hand. He placed them in the vacant, smaller heating contraption and pressed down the latch on the side as he had seen the boy do.

That done he dropped the wrapper on the counter and moved away, leaving the little girl access to her breakfast when it was done. He watched as she waited for him to move to the opposite side of the room before stepping over to stand in front of the toaster. She pulled them out and dropped them onto a plate and sat down cross-legged to eat.

A faint prod at his leg prompted the warrior to lower his line of vision. The boy was sitting on the floor beside him and caught his eyes, having just smacked Yet'rin with the side of his plate. He held up a pop-tart.

Yet'rin looked from the object in the boy's hand to the boy's face and back again.

_Was the child offering him the remains of the rectangular substance?_

Trent continued to hold up the pop-tart, motioning for the hunter to take it.

_Yes, it appeared that the boy was concerned about his lack of eating whatever it was that he made for the two of them. _

Unwillingly, the warrior smiled. He declined the food, but patted the boy on the head to let him know the offer wasn't misconceived. The boy smiled brightly and consumed the rest of his breakfast as Yet'rin watched.

Unbeknownst to the yautja, he too was being watched. The large hazel eyes took in the entire scene between her brother and the large creature. And as a devious plot formulated in her head, Melody came to the realization that she would have to make this being eat something at lunch time.

If he did, in fact, eat.

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"We need more milk."

"And eggs, and bread. And cereal." Melody closed the refrigerator door and looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "But I don't think _he_ knows where to get them." She pointed a thumb at Yet'rin over her shoulder.

"Need...more?" Yet'rin asked, eyeing the two children questioningly. Trent nodded while his sister kept her back turned.

"Yeah. we're out of milk." He raised the empty jug and pointed at it. Then to the vacant egg-carton, bread bag, and cereal boxes littering the counter. "And those."

Yet'rin took the empty jug and nodded. He understood what the children were saying, but had hoped they would show some sort of knowlege as to what to do about the shortage of food supplies. It appeared he wasn't that lucky.

"More food. Where?" he asked.

"The store." Melody replied absently and went to go climb on the couch. She jumped on it a few times, getting higher with each bounce.

Grinning, Trent sped off in her direction and mimicked the action. When he got to the point wher he was bouncing even with his sister, he turned to her and shouted.

"The highest one wins!"

A smile was his response.

Yet'rin watched the human offspring sail higher and higher out of the corner of his visor. He vaguely wondered at their incredible energy reserves as he listened to the 'pop-corn' crackling in the 'microwave'. Taking the steaming bag out of the hot mechanical box, he pried open the bag and dumped the contents into a large bowl. Tossing a few stray pieces that had stumbled onto the table back into the transparent-blue container, he moved the bowl to the dining table.

"Time to eat." He proclaimed to the children.

Surprisingly, the girl was the first off the couch, and to approach the bowl. She bore a strange expression on her tiny face, keeping her eyes on him as she made her way to the table.

Just as she was pulling out a chair to sit on, however, her brother came running at full speed towards the pop-corn. With a muted crack the side of the chair she was pulling out connected with Melody's nose as Trent pushed it aside subconciously.

Yet'rin hopped over the table as she recoiled from the blow,grasping the front of her face tightly. A stream of red trickled between her fingers and she glared through watering eyes at her brother.

Realizing what he had inadvertantly done, he grinned sheepishly at her.

"Sorry."

She tsked behind her hand. "No you're not! You..." She stopped abruptly as her hand was pulled away, and the hunter's face appeared uncomfortably close to hers. She screamed and jerked backwards, but the creature's grip prevented her from going far. After a few more minutes of futile struggling, she gave up and sat numbly as he clasped his other hand at her chin. She averted her eyes, but didn't fuss anymore.

After a few moments of examination and gentle prodding of her face, the being turned and gestured at Trent.

"Towel. Water."

The boy nodded and ran to obey.

Melody, who had glanced up at the sound of Yet'rin's voice, now watched her brother skip to obey the monster who still had a firm grip on her arm. She glared at his back as he wetted a wash cloth. She hated the way he was wiling to do whatever the creature asked of him. And that he was acting like he hadn't even done anything wrong.

"Dummy..." she called after him.

Yet'rin noticed the angered look the girl-child was sending at her brother. He smiled silently at her childish anger, although he could understand where she was coming from. The other one HAD damaged her for no reason...

"Here!" Trent handed the damp washcloth to Yet'rin and went back to eating. He watched as the warrior wiped the blood off his sister's face, puzzling at the fact that she was letting him even touch her. Not that it looked like she had a choice in the matter...

Finished with cleaning the girl's face, Yet'rin released her arm and stod up. He noticed she was waiting for him to move out of her path to the table mutely. He marveled at her silence as he walked over to the sink and started washing the cloth off beneath the running water (It had taken him a while to get used to that little aspect of the human dwelling).

Once the cloth was rinsed, he walked back over to the table and sat down in on eof the chairs. Melody stopped eating, but didn't say a word as she watched him tap Trent on the shoulder purposely. The boy turned and faced the giant sitting across from him, pausing mid-bite. He set the bowl down after a moment, facing the hunter curiously.

Yet'rin waited until he had the boy's complete attention, the pointed at the child. Then at the chair, and then at the girl. He shook his head slowly, continuing to point at Melody.

What the boy had just done was to be labeled unacceptable. He wanted to make that clear.

He pointed once more at the boy. "Trent," he said. "Doesn't...break...Melody." He ended with a gesture towards the girl-child's face. "Understand?"

Despite the bad grammar, Trent felt the superior presence of the large being adressing him at that moment. The presence of someone he had come to admire greatly without really knowing why. And he was being scolded by said being. He hung his little head in shame.

Solemnly, the little boy nodded.

Satisfied, Yet'rin patted the boy on the head and glanced at Melody. He caught her eyes and nodded at her.

And then he stood up to walk outside.

Melody had watched the whole display with surprise. She had thought that her brother could do nothing wrong in the creature's eyes. After all, he seemed to like Trent a lot better.

_Didn't he?_

_Trent was USUALLY the better-behaved one. They got along, after all. Well, of course he didn't fuss like her all the time. Yes, she could deffinitely see why the creature liked her brother more. Actually, she had just thought the creature didn't like her at ALL (Not that it was hard to imagine why. She did attatch some sort of purpose in her life with making the monster unhappy)._

_But he just...stood up for her? Not that he was ever cruel to her, just the fact that he had taken her side over Trent's made her feel...strange._

_Was she..GLAD that...HE..had taken her side?_

_Was he really that...nice?_

_She had been pretty rotten to him after all..._

"Wait!"

She stood up on the chair as the creature stopped his stride toward the doorway, and turned to face her. She could sense the puzzlement in his stance. _Not surprising...she didn't address him directly often._

Melody paused for a moment and shut her mouth, a little shambled under his direct gaze. He didn't move, just kept watching her. Finally, she dropped her gaze to the table momentarily, then looked back at his face. She gestured to the table, carefully keeping any emotion from showing on her own face. And waited.

After a minute, he slowly started walking back to the table, staring at her curiously. When he reached it, she pointed to the chair.

Yet'rin raised an eyebrow and sat down. He was deeply confused by now. The girl had never, never desired to be within such a short proximity with him before. _Now she was telling him to join them for their meal?_

He was taken aback when she leaned over the table and took the bowl from her brother, then pushed it in his direction. The little boy seemed surprised at this too, but remained silent.

"Please...eat."

Yet'rin looked at her, amazed and curious at once.

"Eat some popcorn." She pressed, pointing at the bowl.

And he did.

Taking off his mask slowly (he recalled their reaction the first time he had taken it off), Yet'rin set it aside and picked up a piece of 'popcorn'. He delayed a moment longer, still staring at the girl, then plopped it into his mouth.

Both children watched what his reaction would be.

Actually, he was wondering about it too.

After consuming the piece and not having noticeable digestive pains for a few minutes, he shrugged and proceeded to eat another piece. And another.

Actually, it didn't taste half bad.

Trent whooped with delight as the hunter continued to eat, and he too began consuming more of the popped kernels.

Melody watched them both for a little while, then took a few more pieces for herself.

"Can I see your...mask?"

Yet'rin glanced at the girl who was now staring at his mask. She didn't look up, although she was fidgeting with her hands. Puzzled at her request, the yautja merely stared at her for a little bit.

_Oh, what could it hurt?_

He nodded and pushed the mask over to her. He wondered at her sudden shift in behavior, but didn't say anything. No sense ruining what could be a good thing...

"Yurrtren?"

Yet'rin blinked at the childish human-speech attempt at his name. He shot the boy who had adressed him a questioning glance.

Trent took that as 'yes?'. He scooted closer to the hunter across the table, grabbing another handful of kernels as he did so.

"Will you tell us a story?"

"Story?" Yet'rin was caught off guard by the request. Or maybe it was the casualty with which the boy had asked. He wasn't stupid. He could tell the boy had formed osme sort of...attatchemnt with him, for some unknown reason.

He still hadn't decided if that was a good thing.

"Yes, a story. About...monsters!"

Melody looked up at her brother instantly, pausing from scribbling on Yet'rin's mask with a cherry scented marker.

"Monsters?" Yet'rin glanced from one child to the other. The girl hid a small cylinder behind her back hurriedly, his mask cradled in her lap. She looked at him wide-eyed, innocent.

"Yes. Monsters! Like in the movies."

_Movies?_ Yet'rin had heard that word before, but hadn't picked up on its meaning yet. _He knew 'Monster', though. Oh, he was familliar with THAT one. That was the only name he had heard the girl refer to him as so far._

"Have you seen any?"

Yet'rin looked at the boy again. _Monsters..._

_Yes, he had seen Monsters._

"Yes."

"Cool! Tell us a story!"

"With 'monsters'?"

"Yep!" Trent exclaimed, scooting even closer with interest.

Yet'rin noticed the boy's excitement and smiled despite himself. _So they wanted to hear about scary things did they? _

He looked at the girl to verify her feelings on the matter. She too was peering at him intently. Anxiously.

With a small chuckle, Yet'rin began to tell the tale of his first hunt.


	6. Chapter 5

All of you guys are so nice! Your reviews are wonderful and kind, and make me really encouraged in regards to continuing!

Thank you!

:bright smile:

I went to the zoo today! And I bought these awesome stuffed animal monkeys with the little velcro hands that you can loop around your neck. Here ya go!

:tosses each of you one:

Aren't they cute?

:hangs one from each arm:

XP

Hope you like this chapter! Its a third-person (i think) telling of Yet'rin's first hunt. There are parts where the kids interrupt and its back to the present though. Hope I don't lose too many on this one...

Chapter 5

The others on the ship bustled excitedly, thoughts on what was to come as they felt the jerked motion signaling contact with the planet's surface. The sounds died to a few small chitters, and heads turned in the direction of the docking alcove. A sturdy ramp was lowered to the dusky ground with a muted grating of internal mechanics. Silence was suddenly a heavy shroud, smothering them in weightless wafts.

It was time.

The young hunters filed out of the craft, all familiarity lost once they passed through the red-symbol bedecked doorway. The atmosphere greeting them was heavy and humid, thick and foreign.

Good.

Yet'rin liked it that way. The thrill of hunt was derived from the disassociation with anything well-known and recognizable. One had to get past a comfort zone in order to feel the excitement of a hunt. Something one couldn't really grasp when limited to excursions on his home planet. Now, that was no longer applicable.

He smiled.

Watching the others spread out and dissipate into the exotic shrubbery surrounding their current position, he looked for a certain familiar face. He had decided, on the journey here, to hunt in a party comprised of a few friends. A little measure to keep the would-be dull moments interesting. Just for fun, of course. It wasn't as though he required back-up.

He spotted Gherrnoh a few meters away, eyeing the local plant life, a hand at his hip. He looked unpleased. But that wasn't anything stray of normal. Yet'rin watched as he made a disapproving gesture, crossing his arms and turning to speak to another hunter.

It was Damat. He returned some undecipherable words (due to distance) to Gherrnoh and shrugged. Pulling out his spear, he turned and began scanning the crowd. It wasn't long before he spotted Yet'rin watching him, and waved slightly.

With a grin, Yet'rin made to approach his comrades.

And was sent crashing into the foliage by a large force connecting with his back.

Without thinking he rolled into a crouch, swiveling to face the attacker and unsheathing his wrist-blades in one fluid motion.

Had the face of the attacker not been all-too-familiar, it would have fallen in ribbons upon the alien ground.

He lowered his arm with a smirk.

"Ready to hunt, are you?" Retshi'rk looked down at his favorite sparring partner humorously.

Yet'rin stood up and continued walking in the direction of Gherrnoh and Damat. Both of whom were chuckling.

"If the prey on this planet are as easy to take down as you, then I cannot even call it a true hunt."

"Try saying that when you're not covered in mud. It might sound realistic."

Yet'rin turned and kicked the mud that had splattered on his knees at Retshi'rk. It missed, but felt dignified.

"If you two act like this during the hunt, I'll be pleased to do nothing more than sit and watch as you get mutilated and eaten." Ghernnoh walked into the unchecked vegetation, taking out a serrated disk. Damat followed silently, probably determining the probability of the aforementioned situation.

"Don't expect me to hold your carcass in high regard, then!" Retshi'rk shouted after Gherrnoh, disappearing into the shrubbery as well.

Yet'rin followed, spear rod already cradled in his palm. The hot air was thick and dank, misting on his skin as he strode forward purposefully. He could hear the jumbled, alien banter jostling off every branch, reverberating each unidentifiable fern. With the exception of an occasional curious chitter issued by one of his comrades, their party moved in absolute silence.

This was what he lived for.

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"So, you'd never been there before?"

Yet'rin paused in his tale to glance down at the boy laying on his stomach, chin cupped in his hands, beside him. The large eyes looked up at him expectantly.

"No." It seemed an odd question to the hunter, but he did not say such.

"That's pretty scary."

"And pretty dumb."

Melody chuckled at herself. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She resumed her gaze at the hunter who was currently sitting between her and her brother. He looked at her, all expression hid behind his mask. And what a pretty mask it now was! With a full view of the headpiece, she burst out laughing.

He let out an annoyed gurgle. He could tell she was laughing at him. He couldn't decipher why, though.

"Why do you laugh?"

Melody bit her tongue to keep from giving away that she had doodled on his mask. She shook her head and rested it on her arms.

"Nothing."

Trent was grinning behind his hand at her. He could appreciate her artistic talent. Yet'rin followed Melody's gaze to her brother, who barely checked himself when faced with his own view of the head-gear directly. He forced a stoic expression.

"Please continue telling the story."

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They had found a cave of some sort. A jagged-dark opening looming amid the otherwise softer, lush ripples of terrain. Appearances aside, it FELT like a creepy hidey-hole for some solitary, predatory beast.

Damat's chuckle seeped out of his visor.

"Anyone who doesn't think this is a good place to start, say something."

"Well, that depends upon what you are aiming to start…" Yet'rin joked.

They slipped inside.

Within seconds, the hunters could feel the drop in temperature. A putrid smell wafted from within, and all outside sounds were lost to the stillness inside the cavern. Rather than bothering them, these aspects spurred them onward with anticipation.

The tunnel they were currently moving through was fairly narrow, not much wider than the arm-span of the largest in their party. The ceiling was undistinguishable, higher than touch would allow them to decipher. A sickening slush pooled at their feet, trickling in the direction they had come.

A sudden increase in stench warned them of unnamed manifestations which drew nearer rapidly.

Four sets of wrist blades unsheathed almost instantaneously.

Here it comes…

It punctured his right calf, sending him reeling backwards and into Gherrnoh. A searing pain shot up his leg and he heard a faint screech from someone ahead of him. It had gotten them too. He reached down, grasping frantically at whatever had hold of his leg.

He yanked it from his flesh, raising it to eye level. He could feel Gherrnoh grab his arm to steady him for a moment, then was bounding ahead into the darkness. Yet'rin looked at the assailant he had in his grasp.

A…twig?

Not like any that could be found where he came from. But it was still some form of plant life, he was certain. He looked at the side of the chamber near his feet. Nothing. He switched vision modes. Not detectable in infra-red, or thermal settings.

He knelt and felt along with his fingertips. He could feel a raking along the side of his leg. Thin, razor sharp protrusions extended from the wall. He ran the back of his hand across the tips. It was dripping with blood before he drew it away.

Crap.

He must've just walked into one of them and twisted it off in his leg with the motion of his stride. He wondered if that was what happened to whoever was in front as well. He stood up to locate his comrades.

His foot came down upon warm liquid. Not his.

And he heard Damat scream once before he was barreled over by a creature he had only heard stories about.

Hunting stories.

It shrieked in a hideous tongue, unintelligible to Yet'rin. He swiped furiously at the dark mass pinning him to the floor. Suddenly it didn't matter whether it was a clean kill or not. He just wanted to kill it, quickly. Even a decent stab would be nice!

Somehow he had pictured this moment differently. Easier. A swift blow to the skull, a spear through its bony chest. The tip of its tail strung at his waist, the beast dead on the floor.

He'd be lucky to get off the floor.

He dodged another rapid stab of the barbed tail, struggling to regain the use of his left arm, which was pinned beneath his back. The rapid, clawing movements of the creature kept him in a defensive maneuver. Its strength rivaled if not bettered his own.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yet'rin almost jumped when a small force actually did connect with his side just then, and he looked down in a jerked motion, still a little lost in his memories.

After a moment he relaxed, however, upon recognizing the culprit of the force, now remembering where he was. He looked down at the human child curiously.

The boy was leaning against his side, grasping his arm tightly. His little nails were digging into the hunter's skin, and his eyes were on the doorway. _Was he shaking?_

"Close the door, Melody." He called out.

"No! You do it!"

The little girl jerked her head in the direction of the open door, scooting closer with her back to Yet'rin. She hadn't touched him yet, but was pretty close to it. Her wide open eyes stayed fixed upon the door frame.

Puzzled, Yet'rin asked:

"What is it?"

Trent shifted nervously. He tightened his grip. "I'm scared."

The hunter looked around quickly. Everything appeared normal.

"Of what?"

"The monster!"

"Monster?"

"The one you're telling the story about."

Now the yautja was really confused.

"Why?"

"What if it comes in through the door!"

Melody stopped trembling suddenly. And scooted closer. Her back was pressing against Yet'rin's left arm now, and she didn't seem to notice. The hunter looked out the open door, at the night-view of the woods surrounding the house.

Nothing was out there, of course.

"It won't."

"What if it does!"

The two children were close to panic. If they were larger, Yet'rin had no doubt he would be flattened between the them. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why they were afraid of a creature which existed so very far away, on a different _planet, _walking through their door.

Perhaps it was time to end the story…

He got up to leave, feeling a little ashamed. He shouldn't have agreed.

"Where are you going!" The boy was still clinging to him.

"It's 'bedtime'." The sun has disappeared, and now its time for you to sleep."

"No! Don't leave!" Trent struggled with reasons why the hunter should stay.

"You have to finish the story!" Melody called out, from the floor. She pulled the blanket around her tightly, almost knocking over the long-since discarded pop-corn bowl.

Yet'rin made a face behind his mask.

"But you are frightened because of it."

"Don't GO!" If the boy weighed more, Yet'rin would have been sprawled on the floor by now.

"No, we'll be fine! Stay and tell the rest!" Melody pleaded with her most imploring expression.

"Yes! We're ok. We wanna hear more!"

The yautja paused, giving both a scrupulous look. They stared silently, pleadingly back.

He sighed.

"You…are sure?"

"YES!" They squealed in unison and Trent raced back to sit on the covers.

Yet'rin walked over and closed the door, marveling at the human children's' actions. They were frightened, but wanted him to continue? Did they enjoy being scared?

He could vaguely understand that.

He strode over and sat down on the edge of the blankets.

Within seconds he was once again crowded between the two small creatures, one of them a limpet-his arm, the rock.

Having no better idea as to what to do, the thoroughly perplexed hunter continued his story.


	7. Chapter 6

I now own a respectable set of tires!

Sadly, that is all for now. Unless you count Reces cups, in which case I have thr..two.

Once again, thank you all for your reviews!

:giggles:

"A$$ Whore Humping Bastard"...

I like it! A lot! Seriously, I told it to my sister and we derived its desired meaning ( I think). And then we had a contest to see who could come up with the most random, undesireable tid-bit name to instill a mental image. We actually came up with some pretty great ones while we were lost when driving around down-town.

But I can't list them or I would be booted off this site...

:pouts:

And Mary called her dad a "black-buttholed beaver"!

:cracks up until she pees her pants:

Hehehh...Woah...

:wipes the tears from her eyes:

I probably scared away half my readers with that one...

Hoo. Ahem.

Anyways...I hope you like this chapter! It continues with the giddy fluff obscenities. Some inspiration for which came from the wonderful, awesome Scarlet Moonlight::winks at her:

Onward!

Chapter 6

Yet'rin gagged at the foul breath seeping from the creatures opened jaws, and used his one free hand to press the gruesome orifice as far from his own face as possible. For a moment, he wished his mask had the capability of blocking the stench. It was distracting, to say the least.

In the distance, he could hear the tell-tale growls and crashes of combatants clashing, clawing, shrieking at each other in the darkness. His friends and the creatures were locked in a gruesome battle, the same purpose coursing through their minds and veins:

To gain the upper hand. And win.

_And stay alive! _With all the strength he could muster, Yet'rin planted a kick at the monster's belly, desperately trying to gain a moment to un-pin his arm. The blow threw his opponent off balance, but did not send it flying across the room as he had hoped. The shift of weight allowed him the second he needed to regain the use of both his arms, however, and he pitched the creature with a rough blow at it's bony shoulders.

Yet'rin heard the resulting clamor of the sleek insect-like husk of a body as it collided with the chamber's wall. Not a breath's length of time passed before it was on its feet again.

The hunter could feel it's glare upon him.

With a clipped gesture, he motioned for it to advance towards him again. If it felt up to such a proposition. He leered a couple of words, maintaining the creature's gaze. He was pretty sure his meaning had gotten across.

With a malignant hiss the ebony monstrosity was once again trying to claw out his innards.

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"I hate the monster!"

Yet'rin cast a half glance down at the human child, mildly annoyed at being interrupted again, yet also vaguely curious. The comment seemed very curious to him. The boy had never even seen the creature of which he proclaimed such distaste. And likewise, the creature had not ever harmed him.

"Why?" the hunter inquired of the boy.

"Because it was hurting you." Trent's tone suggested his words were of a most obvious content.

"I don't like it either," Melody chipped in. She tucked the blanket tightly around her toes. With interest she looked up at the hunter and inquired:

"Did you get a boo boo?"

She tried to visualize the nasty creature. An obscure threatening blob formed in her mind. She imagined it growling with sharp, un-brushed teeth. That glowed in the dark. It waved a fuzzy-menacing limb.

"Did it have claws?"

Yet'rin pondered that for a minute.

"Yes, I suppose it did."

"And sharp teeth?"

"Sort of."

"What color was it?"

"…'Color'?"

"Yes. Like red or blue or green…"

"I…don't remember." The yautja lied. He was in no mood to explain he didn't interpret color as they did.

"Oh. Well…was it big? Much bigger than us?" She used her little hands to gesture at herself and her sibling. Yet'rin almost laughed. How many questions was the girl-child going to ask?

"Fairly large. Yes."

"Did it look scary?"

"…Yes."

"Was it ugly?"

"I…suppose." He has never really thought about it…

"Did it try to eat you?"

"Maybe."

"Ew. And did…?"

"Did it smell like Melody?"

The little boy burst out laughing. Yet'rin considered his question, not recognizing the insult.

Melody fumed.

"I bet it smelled like YOU. SMELLY!"

"Blah! I bet it looked like you too, a little."

"Oh yeah? I bet it would like you because you're both DUMB. And….and mean!" The girl huffed at her brother. He looked like he was about to retort something more, but fell silent at a chuckle from Yet'rin.

"Should I continue? Or are you two ready to sleep now?" the hunter asked.

As he suspected, they quieted immediately, though their eyes pierced at each other in the darkness. He was glad there was not much more to tell. It felt very strange, to say the least, pan-caked between the two small creatures. Alone and reclining on the roof sounded pretty good…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With some satisfaction, Yet'rin returned the menacing gestures of his opponent. He dodged another whip-like stab of its barbed tail, then swiped an arm across it's midsection. Two wrist-blade incisions sizzled visually, and there was a shriek of pain.

The problem was, he couldn't figure if it was his or the monster's.

Stupid, stupid!

He mentally chided himself for being so careless. His own abdomen steamed in protest of the acidic liquid collecting there. Desperate, the hunter tried to roll over, out of the way. He wouldn't have any guts left if he didn't break away from the streaming, eroding substance.

The creature was still shrieking, out of pain or fury, it was unapparent. Yet'rin could tell it was dying. Its strength was already ebbing, limbs flailing with less coordination. But it looked like it was committed to returning the favor.

He felt his own vision wavering. The pain in his torso was excruciating, and his arms were weakening as if in response. He didn't even have to look to tell that his wristblades were useless at best now.

_Pauk._

With a grunt, Yet'rin pulled out his serrated disk. The thought of more acid pouring on his skin hindered his inclination to sink the edges deep into the monster's flesh.

He had to finish it, though.

He WOULD be the victor!

With a quick flick of his hand, the weapon sliced through the creatures neck, its body now too weak for a defensive reaction or maneuver. Defiant to the end, it remained glaring murderously down upon its opponent, even in death.

Yet'rin managed to roll over as the head rolled to one side and the corpse dropped to the ground, adding to the mounting pool of fluid and muck.

The hunter forced himself to his knees, and out of the path of any acidic substances lingering nearby. The movement brought near-blindness and he cringed as the chamber's stale air caressed his wounds. But after a moment, he smiled.

He had won.

A hand clapped on his shoulder, and Retshi'rk was leaning heavily against the wall beside him.

"Fun, eh?"

"Always." He could see the forms of his other companions tottering around the chamber now. It looked like none had escaped battle injuries, although Damat looked a little better for the wear than the others did. Yet'rin watched as he leaned down and severed a section of his prey's tail, examining it briefly, then setting it aside. He began releasing the clasps on his mask.

With pride, the other's in the chamber did the same.

It as good to be alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you and your friends beat them all…" Melody mused, after the hunter had finished his story. She would never tell, but she was glad they all made it.

Trent nodded in contentment.

"That was a good story."

"It was a good hunt…" Yet'rin smiled briefly. He stood up to leave, mumbling a 'goodnight' and headed out the door.

The cooler air outside the cabin was somewhat of a comfort from the small, enclosed interior of the dwelling. He could hear the leaves scraping against each other, jostled by the slight breeze.

With a heavy sigh he leapt up to the roof and proceeded to recline in the moonlight, content to be alone again. For the moment. With a deffinite lack of favor, he considered the possibilities of what lay ahead. The most immediate dilemma being what to do about food for the children.

If this planet was anything like his own, consumer-structure speaking, there would be a place where one could purchase or exchange items for food. The problem was locating this place. And finding a way to get what was necessary without being noticed...

What fun.

With a bitter expression, Yet'rin forced his mind to other subjects. He searched his mind for something palatable to his thoughts. Something pleasant to distract him from the blaring, unpleasant mayhaps of NOW.

With slight disinclination, he let his mind wander back to that particular hunt.

His retelling of the events had only served to liven the memory in his mind. Ruefully, he closed his eyes and brought images of the time into focus.

If only it could have continued like that.

It could have.

If this hunt hadn't turned out so wretchedly...

_Sniff._

Yet'rin sat upright and llistened intently to the night's chatter. Had he heard...?

_Sniff._

The hunter's shoulders sagged. Yes, as he thought...

He hopped down from the roof, more than a little perturbed. What could possibyl have gone wrong in the few minutes since he came outside?

Silently, he slipped in the door and crept over to the make-shift bed of comforters and pillows. To his surprise, there were not two, but ONE shaking form huddled benath the covers. This couldn;t be good...

He pulled the cloth off.

And was met with a torrent of child-shrieks layered with fright. Yet'rin almost jumped back, suprised at the vocal onslaught.

Once he regained his voice:

"What is it?"

Melody just sobbed. Trent looked up fearfully, his arms still around his sister.

"W...We're scared!"

Great. Not this all over again...Yet'rin sighed.

"Of...me?"

"No."

"What, then?"

"The monster."

This can't be happening...

"The one in my story?"

HIccup. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Dunno.."

Yet'rin sat down with a thump, and rested his face in his hands tiredly.

"What will...make you feel...safe?"

Trent fell silent, staring at his idol with huge, shiny eyes. Melody was looking at him too. She wiped a fist across her face.

"Will you...protect us?" she asked.

"Yes." Yet'rin replied, still not understanding what he was to protect them from. Feeling that he had closed the matter he, once more, got up to leave. But by the time he reached the doorway he was sporting some interesting arm wear.

"You said you'd protect us!"

"Don't leave!"

"I am just going outside. I do this every night. I'll still protect you."

"No! Stay inside with us!"

"What!"

"...Please?"

"Please sleep with us! What if the monster comes in here during the night?"

"It...won't."

"What if it DOES?"

_Sigh._

Expressionless, the hunter returned to the blanketed section of the floor and sat down. He watched silently as the children situated themselves unecessarily CLOSE to him once again and passed into slumber without further fuss.

Between the muted murmers and chitters of their blissful slumber,Yet'rin realized that every deity in existence (if they did in fact, exist) had to bereally, REALLY upset with him.


End file.
